There’s something truly magical about the aroma of freshly baked sugar cookies wafting through the kitchen during the holiday season, isn’t there?

These gorgeous almond vanilla sugar cookies have a warm and festive flavor that I know you’re going to love. In fact, this is my favorite sugar cookie recipe of all time. It’s absolutely perfect for Christmastime (or anytime, really).

And the best part is that these cookies are made with only a few ingredients (that you’re sure to have on hand), and they hold their shape without chilling the dough. Talk about a winner!

Here’s What You Need to Make These Cookies

First, let’s start with the basics – the (very short list of) ingredients you need for these almond vanilla sugar cookies. You’re going to love this, these cookies are made with simple pantry staples. Here’s the list:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 1/4 cup flour
• 2 TBS milk
• Extra sugar and sparkling sugar or sprinkles

Next, Let’s Talk About How to Make These Almond Vanilla Sugar Cookies – They’re so Easy

1. Preparation: Begin by preheating your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and lining four baking sheets with parchment paper. In addition to preventing sticking, the parchment paper makes for easy clean up.

1. Creaming the Butter and Sugar: Next, in a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes, until the mixture becomes nice and smooth, but avoid-over mixing and adding too much air. The butter and sugar shouldn’t be whipped.
2. Adding Flavors: Then add in the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract and continue mixing for an additional minute, just until incorporated.

1. Sifting the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, quickly whisk the flour and sea salt together.

1. Combining the Ingredients: Next, you’ll want to add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until the dough becomes crumbly. Then, using your hands, work the dough together to form a smooth ball. Because this recipe makes a large dough ball that’s cumbersome, divide the dough into two parts for easier handling and rolling.

1. Rolling and Cutting: Then, on a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to an 1/8 inch (or 6mm) thickness using an adjustable rolling pin. Cut out as many cookies as possible per roll, flouring the surface as needed to prevent sticking. This dough doesn’t require any chilling, so after mixing, you’re ready to go.
2. Brushing and Sprinkling: Place the cut-out cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Then gently brush the top of each cookie with milk using a pastry brush, and sprinkle with a mix of a large granule sugar and sparkling sugar for a touch of sweetness and a sparkling visual appeal.

1. Baking: Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to ensure even baking. The cookies shouldn’t be brown at all, but the centers should be set. If they are browning take them out.
2. Cooling and Storage: Finally, allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once they’re cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.

And, there you have it my friends – these almond vanilla sugar cookies are a tasty little treat that combines the warmth of vanilla with the rich nuttiness of almond to create the perfect soft and flaky sugar cookie.

With this straightforward recipe and helpful tips for making perfectly cut-out cookies that don’t spread, you can create a batch of these delicious and stunningly beautiful cookies in no time at all. Happy baking my friends!